The Matchroom Stadium

Key facts

Club: Leyton Orient FC | Opening: 1937 | Capacity: 9,271 seats

History and description

The Matchroom Stadium, commonly referred to as Brisbane Road, became the home of Leyton Orient in 1937. The site had earlier been used by amateur club Leyton FC, whereas Leyton Orient had played at a stadium on Lea Bridge Road.

Brisbane Road initially consisted of one small seater stand and cinder banking on the three other sides. In 1956, the club bought a new main stand from the Mitcham Stadium.

In the following decades, the terraces got gradually improved and expanded, and the western terrace received cover.

Brisbane Road recorded its record attendance in 1964 when 34,345 spectators attended an FA Cup match versus West Ham United.

In 1978, the terrace of the West Stand got converted into seating, but few changes were made until the late 1990s when a new South Stand was built.

In 2005, Leyton Orient opened a new West Stand, and moved the club offices and facilities from the old main stand to the West Stand. Two years later, a new North Stand opened, leaving only the old main stand in place.

To finance the developments, part of the surrounding land was sold to property developers, resulting in four apartment blocks in each corner of the stadium.

(Photos of the present The Matchroom Stadium below)

Getting there

The Matchroom Stadium is located in the Leyton area in the north-east of London, approximately 5 miles from the City of London.

The stadium is easily reached by metro as Leyton tube station is only a 5 to 10-minute walk away. Leyton is on the Central Line, which crosses right through central London.

London Overground station Leyton Midland Road is also at walking distance, though a little further away. Trains connect the station with stops mostly in the north of London, though two stops further west, at Blackhorse Road, one can also transfer to the Victoria Line.

Address: Brisbane Road, Leyton, London, E10 5NF

Eat, drink, and sleep

The area around The Matchroom Stadium is mainly residential, though there are a few pubs and places to eat on nearby Leyton High Road. The area is one of the typical London multi-ethnic neighbourhoods with resulting food choices.

Alternatively, the regenerated centre of Stratford and adjacent Westfield Shopping Centre are only 1.5 mile south of the stadium, or one tube stop away, and offer plenty of eating and drinking options. Needless to say that you can also drink in central London and catch the tube to the match.

If you wish to stay as close as possible to The Matchroom Stadium, then the Stratford area is probably the best option. There are various hotels in the budget and mid-range category in the area, and it will also be easy to reach central London from there.

Click here for all hotels in the Stratford area, and here for further options in central London.

Tickets

Tickets for Leyton Orient games can be bought online, by phone +44 (0) 871 310 1883, or at the ticket office at the stadium.

Tickets are also available at the ticket office on the day of the match. Orient rarely sell out.

Tickets for the stands behind the goals cost £23.00, whereas those for the West and East Stand cost £25.00. Tickets are £2.00 cheaper if bought in advance.

1 review

London has much more on offer than Premier League clubs, so that’s why we decided to pay a visit to League One side Leyton Orient.

We arrived well in advance using the London Overground, despite a 10-minute walk from the station to the stadium. We found the ticket office in the West Stand and queued for 2 minutes before we could buy tickets. If you plan early, you can save yourself a few £ by buying in advance. We paid £20.00 for a seat at the West Stand, though a £5.00 promotion applied. Still not cheap though.

The Matchroom Stadium definitely has character with its old main stand, new West Stand, and two smaller stands behind the goal. The apartment blocks in the corners give it even more edge. The view was good from the West Stand, though we were fortunate to be high up as the rain reached the lower rows of the stand.

The away fans were seated in the old main (East) stand and made a reasonable amount of noise. The home fans were a bit quieter, with most of the noise coming from the south stand. Apart from the away fans, there were hardly any home fans seated in the remaining parts of the East Stand. The other three stands were well-filled.

The concessions (and toilets) were housed in a rather cramped area underneath the stand, and queuing was significant during the break. If you are among the last to arrive, you’ll be lucky to be back before the start of the second half.

Getting out of the ground after the match went quickly, and we followed the crowds to Leyton tube station this time. We had expected a bit of queuing at the entrance, but none whatsoever and we could get on the first train arriving.